I Didn't Expect to See Him Here (3)
A plan had been formed.
It was because Han Cheong-un had discovered the exact talent he needed to properly establish the Extreme Dao Sect.
The future wealthiest man in the world.
To be honest, Cheong-un had more than enough money.
The treasures he had obtained from the Shadowless Divine Thief's secret cave were still largely untouched. However...
Earning money is hard enough, but managing and spending it properly is a whole different beast.
When it came to managing finances, Cheong-un and those currently by his side were utterly incompetent.
Tang Jin was a tiny bit better, but even that wasn't saying much. In that sense, recruiting the future wealthiest man in the world was an absolute necessity.
"Besides, considering what he'll go through in the future, I want to help him."
"What does he go through in the future?"
"Well..."
Cheong-un explained what he knew.
Tang Jin looked visibly startled.
"Then the true identity of the Jinju Pavilion's master is..."
"Exactly. That's the one."
"Good grief..."
"Fortunately, I can help. It'll be mutually beneficial."
"..."
"First, we need to make contact somehow. Any good ideas?"
"Well, normally you'd just go as a customer, but I hear Jinju Pavilion doesn't accept regular guests at all."
"They have memberships, right? We can just buy one."
They had plenty of money. But...
"Apparently, money alone can't buy it right now. The quantity is strictly limited."
"Oh? Really?"
"Yes. In Yueyang, a Jinju Pavilion membership is treated as a valuable asset in its own right."
"What kind of pavilion operates like that... Well, I suppose that business acumen is why he becomes the richest man in the world."
Cheong-un pondered.
If they couldn't go as customers, how could they get inside to meet him? Just then, Baek Su-ah spoke up.
"How about this?"
Baek Su-ah held out a public notice distributed by Jinju Pavilion.
Jinju Pavilion is seeking sects and martial artists to enter a security contract.
Signing Bonus: 10,000 gold taels
Monthly Salary: 1,000 gold taels
Specific terms of the contract are open to negotiation.
"This is it!"
Cheong-un shouted the moment he saw it.
If they secured this contract, they could enter Jinju Pavilion and speak with the master.
"We're applying immediately."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
And so, Cheong-un led the members of the Extreme Dao Sect to Jinju Pavilion to secure the guard contract.
And now, in the present.
The clerk at the reception desk stared intently at Cheong-un.
"The Extreme Dao Sect... A newly established sect, I take it?"
"That's right."
"Where is your sect located?"
"We recently settled here in Yueyang."
"How many members do you have?"
"Four."
"..."
It was small. Far too small.
The clerk writing down their details thought to himself:
Another bunch of these guys?
Lately, there had been quite a few of their kind.
If they applied individually, their chances of being selected as guards were slim, and even if they were, the pay would be low.
So, mediocre, third-rate rogue cultivators would band together, create a makeshift sect on the spot, and try to secure a contract under that name.
They were trying to exploit a loophole.
Should I just reject them myself?
He was more than capable of filtering out the riffraff. However...
"Is something wrong? Do you have more questions?"
"No, it's just..."
Their aura was far too unusual to dismiss them as mere riffraff.
The young man speaking to him possessed an incredibly imposing presence.
And the two women standing behind him.
One with white hair, and the other with black hair carrying a sword.
If they had come to apply as courtesans rather than guards, the pavilion would have rolled out the red carpet to welcome them. They were breathtakingly beautiful.
Yet, even more striking than their beauty was the sheer composure in their demeanor.
Beautiful women usually carried a sense of wariness, fully aware of the attention they drew. But these two were different.
They exuded the calm confidence of those who knew that any pests drawn to their beauty posed absolutely no threat.
In the Jianghu, such composure was proof of strength.
Honestly, out of the four, the young kid claiming to be the sect leader in the front looked the weakest.
"Hmm? Are you cursing me out in your head right now?"
"Ah... No. Ahem..."
He was certainly quick-witted.
Regardless, they were too ambiguous to reject outright. Therefore...
"Very well. You may go inside."
They would undergo a separate test and interview once inside anyway.
The clerk stamped their approval and let them through.
"He was definitely cursing me out."
Cheong-un's intuition was indeed sharp.
The Extreme Dao Sect passed the reception desk and entered the interior.
A massive crowd had already gathered inside. Some had applied individually, while others wore matching robes representing their respective sects.
They began to whisper among themselves as they watched Cheong-un and his group enter.
"Ho, look at those girls."
"What a rare find. True treasures have appeared."
"Shouldn't they be registering as courtesans instead of guards?"
"If they do, I'd love to be the one to claim them first."
"Hahaha!"
To be precise, they were whispering about Baek Su-ah and Tang Seo-yeon. Compared to the two women's dazzling beauty, Cheong-un and Tang Jin looked far too plain and unremarkable.
And this was the territory of the Unorthodox Faction.
No one here bothered to maintain a polite facade or steal subtle glances at beautiful women.
Filthy, lingering stares locked onto them from every direction.
"Those bastards..."
Tang Jin felt a sudden urge to hurl his Silver Flowing Flying Daggers at the men leering at his sister. But before he could act...
Boom!
Cheong-un stomped his foot heavily onto the floor.
A massive shockwave rippled through the building, shaking the entire structure. The men who had been jeering at Baek Su-ah and Tang Seo-yeon instantly shut their mouths.
Cheong-un glared at them with cold, piercing eyes.
"Lower your eyes."
As the former leader of the Annihilation Squad, Han Cheong-un knew exactly how to handle the Unorthodox Faction.
He knew precisely what language they understood. And his display worked perfectly.
Roughly eighty percent of the martial artists in the hall quickly averted their gaze.
Of the remaining twenty percent, half smirked with amused interest, while the other half responded with cold, murderous intent.
Cheong-un nodded as he took in the scene.
"I see..."
"What is it, Sect Leader?" Tang Jin asked.
"There are some decent figures here," Cheong-un replied.
"Indeed."
"That seems to be the case."
To stand firm against Cheong-un's sudden display of power meant they possessed a respectable level of skill.
Tang Jin scanned the room, assessing the notable figures.
Money really talks. To think this caliber of people would gather in one place.
Even a glance at their appearances revealed several prominent figures of the Unorthodox Faction.
Yang Mu-jin, the Abyssal Sword.
Jang Yeon, the Flame Wave Sword.
Jin Song, the Black Dragon Steel.
Though they did not belong to the Sado-palmun, they were notorious figures who commanded respect within the Unorthodox Faction.
"What do you think?"
"Ten thousand gold taels is clearly a massive sum."
"Indeed. Who do you think is the biggest player here?"
At Cheong-un's sudden question, Tang Jin looked around before whispering,
"Jin Song, the Black Dragon Steel."
"Oh?"
"Yes. He's a well-known pirate captain on the Yangtze River, commanding hundreds of men. His personal martial prowess is also formidable."
Among the crowd gathered here,
Jin Song might indeed have the greatest public reputation.
As the leader of a pirate fleet on the Yangtze River,
he was an ambitious figure of the Unorthodox Faction who openly declared his goal to revive the legendary Yangtze River Water Alliance and rule the river. However...
Cheong-un chuckled softly.
"At the end of the day, he's just a bandit lingering on the fringes because he can't even get into the Sado-palmun."
"That's a harsh assessment."
"It's only natural. Because..."
Cheong-un knew exactly how Jin Song's grand ambition would end.
After gathering a decent amount of power, Jin Song would unite the river pirate factions and declare the revival of the Yangtze River Water Alliance.
Then, he would demand recognition from the Heavenly Demon Sect, the leader of the Sado-palmun.
He would ask for the Yangtze River Water Alliance to be recognized as one of the Sado-palmun.
The result?
It took less than a month for the river pirates to be completely wiped out from the Yangtze River. The wall of the Sado-palmun was simply too high for a mere horde of pirates to scale.
"He's a man who will ruin himself through greed beyond his station. That is the limit of his capacity."
Tang Jin nodded at Cheong-un's evaluation.
"Then, in your eyes, Sect Leader, who is the most prominent figure here?"
"Honestly, I didn't expect to see that man here."
"Who are you referring to?"
"That man leaning against the wall in the left corner. Do you see him?"
"Ah... that man?"
He was a middle-aged man with sharp features.
Most notably, he carried a bow nearly as tall as himself.
As Cheong-un pointed him out, Baek Su-ah's eyes gleamed with recognition.
"Sect Leader. Is that...?"
"Yes. It's Jang Hyeon, the Unavoidable Death Arrow."
"Why is he here... Ah, he must need the ten thousand gold taels."
"He always shows up wherever there's money."
"That's true."
Jang Hyeon, the Unavoidable Death Arrow.
The greatest archer in the world.
He was a man who accepted commissions from both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, caring only about the pay.
During the Great War between the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, he had constantly switched sides, working solely for the highest bidder. Consequently, he was eventually branded a public enemy by both sides.
Naturally, his end had been tragic. However...
His talent is far too valuable to let him die like that.
As far as Cheong-un knew, there was not a single archer in the world who could surpass him.
In the northern steppes, the nomadic tribes spent their entire lives riding horses and drawing bows.
Naturally, their archery skills were vastly superior to those of the Central Plains.
Yet even among them, Cheong-un had never seen an archer superior to Jang Hyeon.
"Baek Su-ah."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Can you recruit him?"
"I can do it."
Baek Su-ah smiled faintly.
Cheong-un nodded.
"I'm counting on you."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
It was an unexpected encounter, but now that they had found such a talent, they couldn't just pass him by.
Just then...
"We will now begin the test."
Someone stepped out onto the upper balcony and announced. Naturally, everyone's attention shifted toward him.
He wore a black mask, concealing his face as he addressed the crowd.
"We thank all the heroes gathered here to apply for our pavilion's security. However, since the positions are limited, we cannot accept everyone. Therefore, Jinju Pavilion will..."
"Cut the chatter and get to the point. What do you want us to do?"
Someone interrupted him mid-sentence.
It was Jin Song, the Black Dragon Steel.
"Ultimately, evaluating martial artists means testing their strength, does it not? What do you say? Should we just make all these weaklings lick the floor?"
Jin Song spoke with absolute arrogance, clearly convinced that he was the strongest person in the room.
The examiner on the balcony replied,
"As expected of Hero Jin. You are quick to understand."
"What?"
"It is exactly as you say. In the end, strength in the Jianghu must be proven through force."
"So... you want us to fight right here?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"..."
The examiner gestured behind him.
Someone brought out a large incense burner. Inside it stood a single, long stick of incense.
"Hmm..."
"Hmph..."
The moment they saw it, most of the martial artists realized what was about to happen.
They reached for their weapons and began to distance themselves from one another. The examiner announced,
"Those who remain standing on their own two feet until the incense burns out will pass the first round. I wish you all the best of luck."
*Crash! Boom!*
The moment the examiner finished speaking, the hall erupted into absolute chaos.
The sounds of shattering wood and clashing metal echoed as blood splattered in all directions.
"You bastard...!"
"Die!"
Watching the martial artists swing their weapons at one another without hesitation, Cheong-un remarked,
"The Unorthodox Faction certainly doesn't beat around the bush."
"Is this the time to be joking?"
Tang Jin stood back-to-back with Cheong-un, throwing hidden weapons at the attackers rushing toward them.
Cheong-un thrust his spear forward, pushing back their opponents as he replied,
"I'm just stating facts. It's not every day you see people trying this hard to kill each other over a simple test."
"Sigh... What a complete mess."
Tang Jin could only sigh.
Seriously, why were these Unorthodox martial artists so obsessed with killing and dying?
The examiner had said they only needed to remain standing until the incense burned out.
Logically, if everyone just stood still and didn't fight, they would all pass.
Yet they had immediately turned it into a bloodbath.
I will never understand these people.
Despite his thoughts, Tang Jin ruthlessly unleashed his Silver Flowing Flying Daggers at anyone who dared approach.
Every time a silver flash gleamed from his fingertips, at least one enemy collapsed to the ground.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the hall...
"Aaargh!"
"Gah!"
Countless sword shadows bloomed in all directions, spraying blood. Emerging from the center of the carnage was...
"Sect Leader. I've secured a spot over here."
It was Baek Su-ah.
She had skillfully claimed a corner of the building and was calling out to the group.
In a chaotic melee like this,
the most dangerous thing was being surrounded by enemies on all sides.
However, in that corner, they would have walls protecting their rear and flanks, making it relatively safe.
They would only need to defend against enemies coming from the front.
"As expected of Baek Su-ah."
Cheong-un grinned.
Even without orders, she had moved instinctively.
The countless battlefields she had survived since their days in the Annihilation Squad had clearly honed her instincts.
"Alright. I'll clear the path!"
Cheong-un swung his spear, carving a path toward Baek Su-ah.
"Ugh..."
"Aaargh!"
His spear thrust and swept in all directions, keeping everyone at bay while Tang Jin and Tang Seo-yeon followed closely behind him.
"Good. We're here. Nice work, Baek Su-ah."
"It was nothing."
Thus, the Extreme Dao Sect secured the best position in the room and formed their defensive line.
"Baek Su-ah and I will take the front line. Tang Jin, support us from behind. Seo-yeon, standby."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The Extreme Dao Sect maintained a flawless formation, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
A few fools charged at them, but they were cut down, unable to breach the ironclad defense.
Thanks to their positioning, the Extreme Dao Sect was able to weather the storm with ease.